


Back In The Saddle

by IBoatedHere



Category: Turn (TV 2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Family Drama, Fluff, Horse Rescue AU, Legal Trouble, M/M, Minor Character Death, Slow Burn, small town life
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-10
Updated: 2016-09-10
Packaged: 2018-08-14 04:21:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,765
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7998406
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IBoatedHere/pseuds/IBoatedHere
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The dumbest part of the whole thing is that Caleb doesn't remember doing any of it.</p><p>He doesn’t remember breaking into the library. Smashing the front door and tip toeing over the glass on the way in or somersaulting over the circulation desk and accidentally kicking the computer to the floor or somehow knocking an entire bookshelf over.</p><p>The only thing he does remember is a faint sound of an alarm going off and then the blinding light from a flashlight being shined directly into his eyes.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Back In The Saddle

The dumbest part of the whole thing is that Caleb doesn't remember doing any of it.

He doesn’t remember breaking into the library. Smashing the front door and tip toeing over the glass on the way in or somersaulting over the circulation desk and accidentally kicking the computer to the floor or somehow knocking an entire bookshelf over.

The only thing he does remember is a faint sound of an alarm going off and then the blinding light from a flashlight being shined directly into his eyes. 

He’s a little drunk and a whole lot ticklish when the officers haul him to his feet with their hands under his arms and drag him back out the door and into the back of a cop car with it’s lights on. 

He sleeps off the alcohol in a tiny holding cell and wakes up with a killer hangover and the smell of burnt coffee wafting around him. 

“Can you turn the lights off?”

Someone on the other side of the bars snorts. “Not a chance.”

“Can I have some coffee?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Look at where you are.”

Caleb sits up slowly, and blinks open an eye. He is in a jail cell. Cement walls and metal bars and looking out into a small office with a handful of desks and rolling chairs and one officer in a dark blue uniform sipping coffee from a travel mug.

“What did I do last night?”

"p>“You broke into the library.”

“Is that it?”

“Is that it,” the officer echos back, incredulous.

“You locked me up for that? Can’t I just pay the fine and leave?”

“You caused seven thousand dollars in damage.”

“That cannot be right.”

“You broke through two glass doors, you knocked a computer off a desk and cracked the monitor, you knocked over a bookcase which crushed four other computers which, were all brand new, not even a week old. Plus we found your bike outside the library so I’m assuming you rode it there which causes a whole new set of problems for you since it was obvious you were drunk.”

“I actually think I walked it there. I remember both of us falling down a few times. Can I get some aspirin?”

The officer takes a long sip of coffee. 

“How long do I have to be in here?”

“Until the judge comes in and you can be sentenced. You’re lucky he’s an early riser.”

“Don’t I get a lawyer? A phone call?”

“If you have a lawyer to call you’re welcome to. If not you can use the one that we appoint to you.”

Caleb has approximately four hundred dollars in the bank. Or he did before last night. He’s not sure what his tab was. 

“So, do you want to make that phone call now?”

He has no one to call. He shakes his head and puts his feet back up on the cot. “Can I just have some water?”

His request is met with silence and he assumes he’ll just have to deal with is cotton mouth until he hears the officer clear his throat and he cracks open an eye.

He’s standing on the other side of the bars holding a paper cup through them. 

“Your lawyer should be in soon.”

 

******

 

The lawyer is young and peppy. He says good morning, Rob, to the officer with a huge smile across his face that doesn’t even dim when Rob rolls his eyes at him and juts a thumb over his shoulder towards Caleb. 

“Caleb Brewster,” he asks with his arm already extended. “Abraham Woodhull. You can call me Abe. Let’s see what I can do for you. Rob, can you please unlock my client.”

“It’s unlocked.”

Caleb pushes on the bars and it swings right open. “How long has it been like that?”

Rob shrugs. “Few hours. You’re not much of a threat and it saved me getting up a second time. Figured you wouldn’t try anything anyways.”

“That’s not-.”

Abe grabs him by the elbow and drags him out and into a nearby chair. “Just ignore it. Don’t make this any worse for yourself by running your mouth. The charges against you are more than enough.” He clears his throat then grabs some paperwork from his briefcase. “Breaking and entering, drunk and disorderly-.”

“How was I disorderly?”

“You didn’t stand or put your hands behind your back when we told you to.”

“I was passed out.”

Rob shrugs and Abe keeps reading. “Public intoxication.”

“It was night. No one saw me.”

“Driving while intoxicated.”

“I pushed the bike. I don’t even know where the keys are. They’re probably still at the bar, ask the bartender. It was a woman. Small but kind of intimidating. I honestly think she made me give her the keys after a few rounds.”

“Rob will check with Mary about that. Look, I’ll be honest with you- I might be able to catch you a break about most of these but the breaking and entering and all the damage you caused is daming. There might not be away around that one. I know Judge Woodhull doesn’t play around with stuff like that. Especially when an outsider comes in and starts causing problems.”

“Judge Woodhull?”

Abe nods. “It’s my father.”

“That sounds like a major conflict of interest.”

“We keep it professional in the courtroom, I promise.”

“Can’t I get someone else?”

“Small town. Afraid I’m it. Take it or leave it.”

Most things in Caleb’s life come down to those two options. 

“What’s going to happen?”

“In this case, given the severity of the damage and your past record-.”

“That was dumb, kid stuff.”

“Boys will be boys is not a proper explanation anymore.”

“It wasn’t a big deal.”

Abe raises and eyebrow and looks back at the paper. “Speeding, overdue traffic tickets, driving without a license, driving without insurance. Arson.”

“That fire was an accident and they knew it. Plus I put it out right away. No one got hurt.”

“It says here you put it out by urinating on it which led to an indecent exposure charge.”

“It worked. I don’t know what they wanted me to do.”

“Not start the fire in the first place.”

“I’m not a bad guy. I’m not some violent asshole. I just make mistakes sometimes.”

“And those mistakes get you into some pretty deep shit.”

“And I’m hoping you can help me get out of them. I haven’t had the easiest time lately. I’ve been going through some stuff, you know, my uncle just died and he was the last real family member I had and I guess I haven’t been handling it well.”

“I’m sorry to hear that, Caleb, really I am, but my father is not going to care about that. You need to pay for what you’ve done.”

“I know that.”

“Now, there’s a chance, a very slim chance, I could get jail time taken off the table and you could serve community service. A slim chance. My father has to be in just the right mood and I don’t even know if the guy I’m looking to set you up with will accept it. You might be more than he can handle. It’s not like he owes me any favors.”

“I’m nothing to handle. Tell him that.”

“I’ll see what I can do.”

 

******

 

Judge Woodhull is not in the right mood. 

Caleb doubts he ever actually been in one.

He reads through Caleb’s current charges with a disgusted look on his face and it deteriorates from there when he reads over Caleb’s record. 

“Do you have anything to say for yourself before I decide your sentence?”

“I’m sorry.”

“Shut up, shut up,” Abe whispers to him. “Sir. I think I can guess what your recommendation is going to be and I’d just like to supply an alternative solution. One that could save the town time and money and could in turn help out the community.”

Judge Woodhull rests his chin on his hand. “You’re not seriously suggesting community service for these kinds of offences.”

“Ben Tallmadge-.”

Judge Woodhull laughs. “Ben Tallmadge should not have to deal with this.”

“He’s always looking for help. He won’t ask for it but we all knows he needs it. We’ve done this before.”

“With dumb teenagers who throw empty beer bottles into the reservoirs. Not repeat offenders.”

“None of Mr. Brewster’s crimes have been violent. He’s paid his debt for each one. He’s not a flight risk and he’s been nothing but cooperative since he was brought in. He’s willing to do whatever it takes to repay this town. To show people how sorry he is.”

“How do you know Mr. Tallmadge will even agree to this?”

“I already asked him. He’s on board.”

That’s news to Caleb but he tries to hide his surprise. 

“We both know how hard Ben works. It won’t be easy. It’ll probably be more of a punishment than jail time. And we know how expensive it is to keep an inmate and that the town is having a hard time balancing the budget already. Why add more fuel to the fire if we don’t have to. I’m sure Mr. Brewster would be willing to help out around town as well.”

“I don’t know of anyone that would trust him enough to do anything for them.”

“Given time I’m sure Ben will vouch for him. Ben can report back to you every week letting you know how he’s doing.”

“If there’s any trouble I want to know about it. No second chances. If I hear one word against you the deal is off and you’re headed straight to prison, do you understand?”

“Yes, sir, thank you sir.”

“Don’t thank me yet. One false move and you’re gone.”

“I completely understand.”

“I’m sentencing you to two thousand hours of community service.”

“That seems like a lot,” Caleb says and Abe shoves him towards the door. 

“Shut up and get out of here. Thank you, dad. Judge Woodhull. Sir. Whatever.” He pinches Caleb’s side and pushes him through the door.

“Two thousand hours? That’s insane.”

“Ben keeps long hours. I’m sure it’ll fly by. And you should be thanking me. You could be halfway to county lock up right now.”

“So, what kind of work will I be doing? When did you talk to this Ben guy?”

“Don’t worry about the when….do you know anything about horses?”

“No.”

“How do you feel about learning?”

“I feel like I’m not going to have a choice.”

Abe smiles and pats his arm. “That’s the spirit.”

**Author's Note:**

> Can you believe I just bullshitted my way through the legal system?


End file.
